Determine Your Skin Type in 3-Steps

September 14, 2016

Before buying any beauty product, whether it’s skincare or makeup, if you know your skin type, it can really help you decide what products you want or need. If you have oily skin you won’t want anything too moisturising, as it may leave your skin feeling slick and shiny. Whilst equally if you have dry skin, any product intended to mattify, will make your skin more taut, plus makeup can stick to flaky skin which isn't what you want, at all. So, to ensure that you easily achieve a flawless complexion, knowing your skin type seems the obvious first step. Follow our easy 3-step guide to determine your skin type at home.

Step 1: Wash

Remove your make-up and follow-up by washing your face with a gentle cleanser. This will ensure that all dirt, oils and creams that may linger on your skin are completely removed. Next, pat your face dry with a towel or flannel.

Step 2: Wait

To determine what your true skin type is, you need to allow it to return to its natural state. To do this, you need to very simply, leave your face alone. No creams nor serums are allowed. Leave your skin alone for an hour and try not to touch your face.

Step 3: Determine Skin Type

There are four main skin types; normal, oily, dry and combination. Below we expand on each skin type, and how it acts in its natural state Match up how your skin feels to one of categories below to determine your skin type.

Normal

If your skin shows neither signs of oiliness nor flaking, then you have normal skin. It should feel smooth without the use of any products. Lucky you!

Those with dry skin will feel tightness in their face, and suffer from flakey patches. A good skin set for dry skin is very important, to ensure your skin stays hydrated and soft.

Combination

This is the most common skin type. Combination skin is a mixture of all the above skin types. Most report that they have an oily T-zone while the rest of the face is dry or normal. But this is not necessarily true for everyone. Skin types can alter and change for everyone depending on your lifestyle and other external factors.